October Noticeboard

Looking for a Halloween Costume? Halloween, or Wansheng Jie (万圣节), is upon us again, so dress yourself and your little ones up in something perfectly frightening. To make sure you get your costume sorted before darkness falls, we’ve found Beijing’s best go-to-places for your getup.

New Principal at Beijing World Youth Academy Beijing World Youth Academy welcomes new AcademicPrincipal Shane O’Day to the school community. O’Day hails from the US and is a certified Principal with an advanced degree in educational leadership as well as an MBA. O’Day comes to Beijing via Malaysia with his wife Christine Burns, who teaches IB Business and Management as well as serving as the University Counselor at BWYA.

The British School of Beijing Welcomes New Head of Secondary Robert Hewett has recently started as the new Head of Secondary at BSB. He’s been teaching for 11 years, but his prior history includes stints as a scientist, engineer, combat soldier and captain in the Royal Engineers and British Army. Hewett loves the outdoors and ventures out to Beijing’s lakes and mountains as often as he can.

Cambridge "Top in China" Award goes to YCIS Beijing Student Yew Chung International School of Beijing student Louis de Maistre received a Brilliance Award, recognizing him as "Top in China" in French, after completing the Cambridge June 2010 International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exam. Candidates from over 150 countries enter the Cambridge examinations each year.

Dulwich Students Achieve the Highest Score in China Congratulations to the following students who achieved the highest scores in China after sitting the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) in June: Haining Wang (English Language and Geography),Rebecca Chang and Lisa Koh (English Language).

What’s New? Known as the Chinese Oprah, media mogul Hong Huang has set out to dismantle all negative associations with the phrase "Made in China." The result is Brand New China (BNC), a fashion and design concept store located in Sanlitun Village North. Was it difficult for her to fill an entire store with high-quality, domestically produced wares? Apparently not. With items from over 150 designers in the mix, BNC successfully showcases the variety of China, from the modern and kitschy (NLGX, Plastered T-shirts, mkrt) to high-fashion elegance (Vega Zaishi Wang, Non Season, He Yan). A modest range of home furnishings and accessories further jazzes up their selection. For a more traditional Chinese flavor, turn to Huang Yichuan’s delicate jewelry (RMB 1,300-3,000) based on Ming dynasty blue-and-white porcelain. The children’s clothing brand Tang’ Roulou (formerly known as Xiao Fu Xing) can also be found here. Their beautifully intricate Chinese-inspired creations will spoil any child. The store’s factory appearance indicates that BNC, just like China’s fashion industry, is still in the making. But the quality of stock within proves that Chinese designers will establish their place in the world in no time. Tiffany Wang

We Like 365 China Photo (www.rayallychina.com) is a photo blog run by father and graphic designer, Ray Ally. His photo-a-day journal depicts his day-to-day life in Beijing, with some very candid accounts of the trials and tribulations of parenthood. Ray’s blog has been going on ever since New Years’ Eve of December 2008. The best part? You don’t need a VPN to access it.

And the Winners Are … Congratulations to Vida, Thomas and Fiang. These lucky people are the winners of last month’sbeijingkids Roald Dahl book giveaway. Happy Reading!